So for the past two weeks, we had doubleheader interviews on the show. Where do you go after that? How about two interviews–live, in the Twirl studios? So we did just that.

There was a very special occasion in Sacramento that night–a show at the lovely Shine Cafe, featuring Anton Barbeau (with full Antband Kenny), and Felsen. These two bands had never before played a gig together–and in fact, had never even met.

So on the show, we had Anton Barbeau and Julia Boorinakis Harper from Anton’s band, and Andrew Griffin, frontman of Felsen, live in the studio. The in-studio photo shows this historic first meeting, and we were honored to have it happen live, on the air.

Anton Barbeau with Antband Kenny

Anton Barbeau is no stranger to our show. He lives in Berlin, but fortunately for us, makes frequent visits to his hometown of Sacramento, and it’s always fun and insightful to catch up with him whenever he does. This is the first visit since his wonderful Natural Causes album was officially released. Some say this album is the “most Anton” of all his records, or “the Anton record they’ve been waiting for”. It’s hard to know just what that all means, but suffice it so say, Natural Causes is by turns accessible and poppy, yet quirky and charming. If you already like Anton, you’ll love this record. If you’re just discovering him, you’ll love this record. http://antonbarbeau.com/

Felsen with special guest Anton Barbeau

Andrew Griffin of Bay Area band Felsen is also no stranger to our show. He’s the mastermind behind Felsen’s five studio albums, and some amazing live performances over the years. The last few Felsen records have been what I would consider to be vital listening for the 21st century. “I Don’t Know How To Talk Anymore” was my pick for Album of the Year for 2013. It spoke to isolation in the technology age. The current album, “Blood Orange Moon”, tied for the Album of the Year for 2017 (technically a 2018 release, but I’ve had it since last September, so it counts). It picks up where the last one left off, but with a couple of changes. The entire band, save for Andrew, has changed. And the sound is not quite as boisterously rockin’. It is a bit quieter, but no less intense–this one simmers and smolders. In REM terms, this is Felsen’s “Automatic For The People”. We were treated to Andrew performing a couple of the newer songs live on the show. Try out both albums: https://felsen.bandcamp.com/

And in case you were wondering, the live gig at Shine was every bit as good as you might expect. Two great bands, playing loose, but fiery sets. At the end, another bit of rock ‘n’ roll history was created: Andrew called Anton up to the stage, for a duet of “Suffragette City”. A magical capstone to a magical day of music in Sacramento.